Field Theory
Often the term ‘Group Work’ is described as a mere talking about teamwork. However, there is a more to the name, and it is interesting to know that an appropriate group who work together with proper behaviour can achieve extraordinary goals (Savignon, 2018). Group work is a scope of dividing the work and increase productivity. Utilising of different skills, knowledge and experience of every member in a group acts together that as a result produce the best result (Hall & Buzwell, 2013). Therefore, group work is a significant approach in various practical fields. In this paper, the focus is on two of the popular forms of group work theories that are used by the social workers and by anyone who aims to carry out a task through the group work method. The paper discusses the theories in brief and carries out a contrast between them since the two theories differ from one another.
A group can be defined as two or more individuals connected to one another through social relationship. A group has mainly three elements that are the relationship, connection and the number of individual involved (Thibaut, 2017). The group work helps in enhancing the social functioning through purposeful group experiences and work together in coping more effectively with personal, group or community problems. Like various group work theories, Field theory and Social exchanged theories are significant theories that are used widely.
Field theory is a psychological theory that is mostly used to examine the interaction takes place between an individual and the entire field or the environment (Sallis, Owen & Fisher, 2015). The theory was first introduced in psychology by Gestalt which was later developed by Kurt Lewin (Burnes & Cooke, 2013). The approach when developed by Lewin became a significant contribution to various fields such as social psychology, social science, organizational development, psychology and change management. According to early philosophers human body have a rational, inner nature that shapes human thoughts and bodies. This particular force and human soul are perceived as the supreme control over the entire human body. The notion was soon disrupted, changed and have been an evolving topic always (Cooley, 2017). The field theory holds the concept that human behavior must be derived from a facts that are entirely coexisting. These particular coexisting facts make up a “dynamic field”, interpreting it means that the state of any part of the field depends highly on every other part of it (Leary & Baumeister, 2017). According to the theory, rather than the past or the future, the behavior depends on the present field. The field is of major significance according to the field theory which believe that the human behavior and learning must include the environment while the holistic investigation is performed. The environment is the place where learning is taking place involving the psychological environment of the learner and the other people with whom the learner interacts. It is the behavior that is the result of the environment and individual. The field theory has been one of the impactful theories that support the notion that the interaction between an individual and the individual traits are the reason for specific behavior.
Social Exchange Theory
The social exchange theory explains that social behavior is a determined by a keen analysis of exchanges that are performed (Dovidio et al., 2017). According to social exchange theory, social behavior is the result of an exchange process. The exchange’s main purpose d to maximize the benefits and costs. It is observed in human behavior that people tend to invest in the relationships which gives them benefit in return. The way social exchange theory works can be explained by the understanding of simple rule of give-and-take policy. However, the exchange that takes place is not necessarily positive or equal. Often it is negative where one loses more than what is given in. it is the valuing of the benefits and costs of each relationship that act as a determinant factor for continuing the relation. It is the cost and benefits that are analyzed are in terms of time, effort and money (Blau, 2017). When a person is not getting the same amount of return as per the input it is a high cost relationship. For example a person who always borrows money from his friend is giving the friend a high cost friendship. The benefits are the returns that one gets from a social relation such as fun, support, friendship and companionship. The friend who keeps bowering money might be a freeloader however he brings lots of joys and fun to his friend which acts as the benefits or the return. Social exchange theory suggests that human take the benefits and subtract the costs to understand the worth of the relationship. Although the cost-benefits analysis that plays the key role in the social exchange process, expectation also plays a main role. While making the decision or evaluating the cost and benefit the social expectation and past experience influence to a great extent. Considering all the factors such as cost, benefits, returns, social expectations and past experiences the social exchange take place between individuals.
According to field theory human’s behaviors are shaped by its environment and the interaction that happens between them. As per the social exchange theory human behavior are determined by the benefits and costs of relationships. According to Fitzpatrick et al. (2013) by the two theories it can be understood that humans make decisions which are shaped from various aspect. There are different ways and different approaches of dealing with a situation. The selection of the approach depends on the investigator, the person who with adequate experiences and knowledge decides the specific theories to understand the situation. The field theory and social exchange theory, both aim to understand human behavior and traits. However the approach is different and the underlying concept is different from one another. In the former theory, it is the environment that plays the significant role and in the later it is the evaluation of the cost and benefits one obtain from a relationship. As both the approaches’ underlying concept is different it cannot be said which theory is better than the other. The theories that are mostly used to understand human behavior highly depends on individuals. Like the way two theories are different, as per the individuals and situation the appropriate theory is selected. Both the theories are widely used and have made huge contribution in understanding human behavior.
Contrast Between Field Theory and Social Exchange Theory
According to De Board (2014), in a group work, which is the assembly of more than one person requires successful communication and interaction. Understanding human behavior is essential and with the help of field theory and social exchange theory it is possible to improve the potential of group work. A group always involved one than one person and therefore to carry out a certain task it is essential to have productive communication, to understand the potential of every person and the qualification each person possess. Including all the aspect the group work is conducted. Often due to misunderstanding of behavior may lead to negative situations which can be avoided when one follows the field theory and understand the reason for the other person’s behavior (De Spiegelaere et al., 2014). In the similar way understanding situation and relations on the basis of social exchange theory is essential. Any person having high cost relationship will bring down the production of the group. When a person is not getting the same amount of return as per the input it is a high cost relationship. Therefore, it is important to take care of the fact that each person in the group is experiencing the same cost and benefits.
Conclusion:
Group work is the process of carrying out a task along with other members who are associated together for the same goal. There are various theories of group work that are important in the group work. The two theories that have been discussed in this paper are field theory and social exchange theory. The two theories explain human behavior and human traits. The theories helps understanding the reason for behaving in a certain way. In the end it can be concluded that while carrying out a group work it is important to understand the way human behaviors are shaped. The potential of a group can be improved or may get neglected if there is lack of appropriate understanding of human behavior. Therefore, it is significant for the members of the group to understand each member, their past experiences, their behavior pattern and related aspects. All the factors mentioned are crucial to build an efficient group.
References:
Blau, P. (2017). Exchange and power in social life. Routledge.
Burnes, B., & Cooke, B. (2013). K urt L ewin’s Field Theory: A Review and Re?evaluation. International journal of management reviews, 15(4), 408-425.
Cooley, C. H. (2017). Human nature and the social order. Routledge.
De Board, R. (2014). The psychoanalysis of organizations: A psychoanalytic approach to behaviour in groups and organizations. Routledge.
De Spiegelaere, S., Van Gyes, G., De Witte, H., Niesen, W., & Van Hootegem, G. (2014). On the relation of job insecurity, job autonomy, innovative work behaviour and the mediating effect of work engagement. Creativity and Innovation Management, 23(3), 318-330.
Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., Schroeder, D. A., & Penner, L. A. (2017). The social psychology of prosocial behavior. Psychology Press.
Fitzpatrick, A. L., Haxton, W., Katz, E., Lubbers, N., & Xu, Y. (2013). The effective field theory of dark matter direct detection. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2013(02), 004.
Hall, D., & Buzwell, S. (2013). The problem of free-riding in group projects: Looking beyond social loafing as reason for non-contribution. Active Learning in Higher Education, 14(1), 37-49.
Leary, M. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (2017). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. In Interpersonal Development (pp. 57-89). Routledge.
Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior. Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 5, 43-64.
Savignon, S. J. (2018). Communicative competence. The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, 1-7.
Thibaut, J. W. (2017). The social psychology of groups. Routledge.
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